Isolation
by What'sItAllAbout
Summary: Nick Stokes has purchased what seems to be the perfect house, but he soon starts acting very strange. Can Greg and the rest of the team figure out what's going on?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Hey guys, this is my first slashfic and or fan fic ever, so clearly, unbetaed... any mistakes are mine! I've written several chapters already, but just wanted to test this all out with the first one. Let me know what you guys think!

**Summary**: Timeline is current, Nick moves into a new house, and begins acting very strange, can Greg and the team figure out what is happening to him?

**Warnings**: Slash, Violence, and possible character death (I haven't finished yet! haha). Of course the latter two won't come until later chapters.

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"Hey Nick. Nick? Niiiccccckkkkkk.."

"Huh? What?" mumbled Nick as he was jerked out of his silent brooding over his coffee cup in the break room.

"I said do you want to get something to eat with me after shift?" Greg asked with a slightly quizzical look on his face. For a moment, just a flickering moment, Greg thought it looked like Nick thought he was going to attack him.

"Uh… no… no thanks… I'm just going to go home… I'm still working on that last room upstairs." Nick said, referring to his recent home purchase.

"Oh… that's fine, I just thought since you haven't really seen anyone in awhile you might be interested." Greg sighed, knowing all to well that his small explanation hadn't been heard.

Six weeks ago Nick Stokes had bought a house in Henderson, finally able to get away from the tiny house he had lived in since moving to Vegas. Greg had been over when Nick had invited the whole team to help him move in. The house was about 15 minutes outside the main metro area. It was strangely isolated from the houses around it, which was rare in Vegas. The nearest house was at least a half a mile from it.

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"_Is this it?" asked Catherine as she peered out the windshield at an old mailbox at the end of a gravel drive heading up a hill into tall old trees. The new gold decals reading Stokes affixed to peeling paint on the box shone in the morning sun._

"_No Cath, I'm sure Nick just likes tagging up mailboxes in this area…" Greg said sarcastically. Catherine threw Greg a mock dirty look._

"_You know I could have let you drive yourself up here alone." She said playfully._

"_I would have found it, no problem."_

"_Even without Monica?"_

"_What?!" _

"_I stole her from your car at the lab," Catherine said, holding up the well-used Tom-Tom GPS system. "I was going to use her in case we got lost… Like you could find your way anywhere without her! And by the way… Monica? Who names their GPS?"_

"_Well, I do! And she doesn't like being handled so roughly!" exclaimed Greg as he tried to take it from Catherine. "Give her back!"_

_Catherine rolled down the window and held the unit out, "Oh come on Greg, try harder than that!" She laughed as he fumbled with his seat belt trying to reach across the car._

_Suddenly a horn blared behind them, Catherine looked up into the rear view mirror at a black SUV and she realized she was still in the road. She tossed Monica unceremoniously into Greg's lap and pulled into the driveway, heading up the shaded path as Greg gave her a dirty look and put "Monica" in his jacket pocket._

_They arrived at the top of the drive. It circled around a pleasant old two-story house to a detached two-car garage on the side of the house. Parked in front of the garage were Nick's Tahoe, A U-HAUL with its back door open, Riley's small convertible, and a minivan. Nick was handing a box out of the back of the truck to Riley as Catherine and Greg Pulled up and parked off the side in front of a basketball hoop._

"_Hey guys! Glad you could make it!" Nick said as he hopped out of the truck and walked over to the newcomers. His normal sunny disposition was infectious._

"_Hey Nick!" Catherine said as she handed him a small potted plant, as well as the gift of a hug and a kiss on the cheek, "Thought you might want a little housewarming gift!"_

"_Aw thanks Cath, you shouldn't have..." Nick said, taking the plant from her, "What's up Greg? Thought you didn't think you could make it!?"_

"_Oh Nicky my boy… anything for you… You know that. "Greg wiggled his eyebrows suggestively._

_Nick laughed and they moved towards the back of the U-HAUL, where Riley was struggling with three boxes stacked in her arms._

"_God Nick, does anyone really need this many sports trophies?!" She huffed at Nick as Greg took a box from her arms and she relaxed a bit, "Thank god you guys are here… I swear… with his directions flying at me it's like trying to move in Martha Stewart!" She rolled her eyes and deepened her voice, "Be careful, that was my mom's! Just make sure the boxes are grouped right, I had them all in order!"_

_Nick blushed and laughed as Mandy, Archie, and Wendy came out of the house._

"_Hey guys!" said Greg, "Who's uh… minivan?" he said, trying not to laugh._

_Mandy's eyes narrowed, "We'll see how funny you think it is next time your transmission goes out and a minivan is all the rental company has!"_

_Archie and Wendy laughed, it was clear they had been riding her the entire way out to Nick's house._

"_Where's Ray?" Catherine asked._

"_Couldn't make it, something about some dealings with the school, I don't know." Riley replied._

"_So what do you guys think?" Nick asked Catherine and Greg, pointing at the house._

_The group looked up at the old house. It looked really big for just one man Greg thought. The house was painted a dark blue with maroon shutters. A wide front porch wrapped around one side of the house where the ground started to slope back down to what Greg assumed was the backyard. Nick then took them inside. The entry had hardwood floors, as did the rest of the house, and a staircase moving up to the second floor, on their left was a set of double doors at the bottom of the stairs which he said led to an office, where he had Greg and Riley put their boxes. To the right was a formal dining room with a swinging door that led through a pantry to the kitchen. At the back of the house was the large living room that also connected to the kitchen. There were sets of French doors that led out onto a deck that looked out into the valley. To the right there was the city, to the left, desert. Nick then took them upstairs to see the master suite and the two other bedrooms. Both of those bedrooms had clearly been kids' rooms, one was pink with ponies on the walls, the other was blue with footballs. Nick assured his guests he would be changing them after Wendy made a comment on how the football wallpaper was just the right touch._

_By the end of the day, the group had moved in every article from the truck and Nick's Tahoe. They gathered on the back deck as Nick popped champagne and called a toast, "To new beginnings!" They all laughed and cheered until Archie grabbed the bottle and managed to soak Wendy, sending Catherine and Riley running back inside, and everyone burst into laughter as Mandy took the bottle and smacked Archie in the back of his head with her hand._

"_I'm starving!" Riley said as she sat down on the couch, her stomach rumbling in agreement. _

_Catherine laughed, "How about we all go get something to eat?"_

_The rest of the group nodded in agreement. They all moved towards the door._

"_What about you Nick?" asked Wendy._

"_Nah, I'm not that hungry, I still have so much to do anyway…" he sounded tired._

_Greg surveyed Nick and then said, "You know what? I'm not that hungry either, I could stay and help the cowboy out while you guys eat."_

"_Are you sure Greg?" asked Catherine, "I guess I could come back and get you after we're done eating."_

"_That won't be necessary Cath, I can take him home later… It's only about twenty minutes." Nick said._

"_Oh, well, if you're sure Nick." she said. She then turned to Greg with a devious look in her eyes "Greg, I hope you got Monica out of the car, Or else I don't know how you'll get to work tomorrow…" Catherine chuckled as she walked out._

"_MONICA?!" the three lab techs exclaimed as they went through the door and shut it behind them. A few second later Greg and Nick heard their laughter, as Catherine must have told them who "Monica" was, and then their cars start up and leave. Greg turned to Nick._

"_So… " he said._

"_So…" Nick said back._

_Why was everything suddenly so awkward? Greg thought. He coughed nervously, "What should we do now?"_

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Greg sat in his car and watched Nick exit the lab, get in his SUV and drive away. There has to be a reason he's acting like this, Greg thought. He drove to his apartment and pulled into his space in the lot. He couldn't figure out why Nick was avoiding him, and everyone else for that matter. He pulled out his phone, and this time, dialed the house number he had seen after looking at the change of address form on Catherine's desk. He sighed when he got the answering machine.

"Nick, it's Greg, please pick up… I know we haven't talked but..."

Suddenly Nick was on the other end.

"Just leave me alone Greg"

"Just tell me what's going on!"

"I can't! Please… I'm not supposed to be talking to you!"

"You're not… what? Nick what is happening with you?!"

Fear invaded Nick's voice, "I have to go Greg", and the line was dead.

Greg sighed as he reversed out of his spot. He put Monica in her receiver and programmed in Nick's address. He was going to find out what was going on, whether Nick liked it or not.

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**A/N**: So that's the first chapter, let me know if you guys like it or not! i'll post the next asap!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Okay, I couldn't wait any longer... haha, so I went ahead and uploaded another! Please read, and review if you'd like! I'd like to know if I'm headed in the right direction!

**Summary**: Timeline is current, Nick moves into a new house, and begins acting very strange, can Greg and the team figure out what is happening to him?

**Warnings**: Slash, Violence, POSSIBLE character death

**Disclaimer**: I don't own CSI, or any of the characters, things would be a little different if we had it my way.. haha

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Greg pulled into Nick's driveway and drove slowly up the hill. Clouds had moved in and thunder was echoing across the valley. One of Vegas's rare storms was coming, and when Greg got out of his car and looked across Nick's backyard towards the west he knew it was going to be a bad one. Greg then walked around to the front of the house. What Greg had once perceived as quaint about the old house now seemed different entirely. There was paint peeling that he hadn't noticed before, in fact it seemed like the entire house loomed over you, giving it a sinister appearance. Greg remembered the last time he had been here.

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"_What should we do now?"_

"_Well, how about I get you a beer, it's about the only thing I've got in my fridge, and then we can set up my new TV." Nick said as he pointed to the large boxed up television._

"_Sounds good." said Greg nervously as he watched Nick go into the kitchen to get the beers._

_About an hour and a lot of beer later, the two men sat on the couch surveying their handiwork. The tension seemed to have passed, and Greg marveled at the system._

"_Man… that TV is something…" Greg breathed._

"_I know man… geez it got late…" Nick stated as he looked at the clock on the DVD player, "I should probably get you home."_

"_Judging by the slur in your words, I don't think that should happen, I'll call a cab" Greg laughed as he tried to get off the couch. He made his way towards the phone on the end table and got about a foot before tripping over a box and landing face up in Nick's lap._

"_Bit forward aren't you Greggo?" Nick laughed before becoming silent and looking down at Greg. Greg chuckled nervously, but he didn't move, and Nick didn't try to make him._

_Nick's face became very serious and Greg suddenly found himself leaning up and kissing Nick. The kiss was soft and slow, lasting only for a few seconds before Greg suddenly panicked and pulled back. He rolled off of Nick on to the other side of the couch. He looked over at Nick's shocked expression and got up and went to the entry hall._

"_I'm sorry, I should go!" Greg stammered. He heard Nick following._

"_Greg… there's nowhere to go!_

"_I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Greg kept muttering as he fumbled with the lock on the door._

_Suddenly Greg was whirled around and pressed up against the door. He closed his eyes expecting the fist about to collide with his face. Instead, he found Nick's lips pressed against his. There was no hesitation with this kiss as there was with the first. Nick fiercely kissed Greg and Greg responded with even more force. The kiss never broke as the two men made their way back to the couch, stumbling over empty boxes and struggling with clothing, before finally making it to the couch._

_They awoke several hours later, Greg in Nick's arms. Sun was peeking in to the living room from the entry hall. _

"_I guess I should go," said Greg as he moved off the couch and started to find his clothes. Nick nodded and they both dressed in silence. Greg then called a cab and they both sat down on the couch watching TV. The silence was deafening, Greg was relieved when he heard the honk of the cab. Nick walked with him to the front door and did something completely unexpected. _

_He gave Greg a quick kiss and said, "It wasn't a mistake."_

_Greg smiled and nodded, and went out the door to the waiting cab._

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Now here Greg was in front of the same house. He noticed that Catherine's plant was on the porch, but lying on its side, dead, dirt spilled. The front door was wide open, frosted glass broken. Greg walked slowly up the front steps, wishing now more than ever that he carried. He pushed the door all the way open, stepping into the broken glass in the hall.

"Nick?"

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_The days after that night had passed smoothly and happily for Greg Sanders. Nick was off for the next few days, and busy. Greg didn't want to seem clingy, so he just called at night before his shift started. Their conversation flowed easily and naturally. Nick told Greg he had started ripping down the wallpaper in the upstairs rooms. He had also found a lot of old stuff from the previous owners in the utility room in the basement. Nick said there were filing cabinets of stuff he hadn't been able to go through yet. Greg was still nervous about everything and kept asking Nick if he was sure that it was ok. Nick would just laugh and tell him he was being stupid. They had even set up an official date for the morning after Nick's first night back. Well, it was just breakfast at their favorite diner, but it was just the two of them, and Greg knew that was something, right?_

_The morning after the shift before Nick was to come back, Greg tried to call him again. The call went straight to Nick's voicemail. Greg just left a message, and went home to shower and sleep. In lieu of seeming desperate Greg opted to just seeing Nick at work tonight. Smiling as he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't wait to see Nick._

_When he arrived at the lab the next day, Greg almost seemed to be dancing with each step, after saying hello to Judy on his way in and waving into the break room at the others, he went to the layout room where he knew he would find Nick._

"_Howdy Cowboy" said Greg in the sexiest voice he could muster._

_Nick turned around, fixed a cold stare on Greg and just said "Hello", and turned around back to the table._

_Greg was severely confused. "Hey, we ok?"_

"_Fine"_

"_Oh, ok, are we still going out after shift?"_

"_I don't think it's a good idea anymore"_

"_What?" Greg said weakly, "But I thought that…"_

"_I have results to get back from Hodges" and with that Nick left Greg standing shocked and emotionally shattered in his wake._

_Over the next few weeks, Greg tried to see what was wrong with Nick, but he just pulled further and further into himself. Shadows had grown under Nick's eyes, his work appeared to be suffering, it was taking him longer to solve his cases, and he almost seemed to be afraid of anyone who touched him. Greg tried to voice his concern to Catherine._

_She sat solemnly behind her desk looking over a robbery at a liquor store. She sighed and pulled off her glasses._

"_Look Greg, I already tried to talk to him, he's not saying anything to me, or anyone for that matter. There's nothing we can do unless he asks us to help him"_

"_Well, someone needs to do something, he won't even go out with the team anymore or anything. Nothing since he moved into that damn house. I'm going to keep trying though, maybe we can get through to him"_

"_You can't force him to ask for our help"_

"_I'm not going to force him to ask for it, it's clear I'm just going to have to give it to him"_

_With that, Greg left her office and moved towards the break room where Nick sat absently staring at his coffee. Catherine sighed as she went back to her paperwork._

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Glass crunched under Greg's feet as he cautiously made his way into Nick's house. The sky roared with thunder one last time as rain began to pour down outside. Greg saw that the house was decorated very tastefully. It looked far different than the first time Greg had been there. He noticed the table that held the phone and the answering machine was knocked over, and the devices unplugged. Greg moved through the house checking the rooms. Everything was clean and organized, just like one would expect from Nick.

Greg went back to the entry and tried the doors to the study, only to find them locked.

"Nick?"

Hearing nothing he slowly went up the stairs to the bedrooms. Nothing seemed out of place in Nick's room. Just a few books scattered on a table in the corner. Greg then peeked in to the two bedrooms, one was completely stripped of wallpaper, and the other had only just been started on. It was the same amount of progress Nick had described to Greg on the phone. Greg stared blankly at the room. He felt his heart sink as he realized that Nick must have been in more trouble than they realized.

Suddenly he heard a thud and a muffled cry from downstairs. Without thinking he ran to the first floor. He saw that a lamp in the living room had been knocked over. He heard more movement from beyond the kitchen. Greg grabbed a knife out of the block on the island and moved into the pantry and the mudroom beyond. He was shocked to see Nick lying on the floor by the door to the outside.

"Nick!"

He was so focused on Nick he didn't notice the dark figure that crashed into him, and the next thing he knew he was flying through the door and down the basement stairs.

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**A/N**: I know.. cliffish.. Bahaha, I have to keep the people intrigued somehow right?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews! Seem pretty positive right now! lol All the usual applies! Reviewing isn't expected but always appreciated, haha

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Greg slammed into a table at the bottom of the stairs and looked around dazedly. He saw the basement was finished and a treadmill and weights were over on one side. But he was pulled out of his reverie when he heard a strangled cry from the top of the stairs.

"Greg!"

Before the voice was suddenly muffled and Greg remembered why he was here.

"Nick!"

He pulled himself off the remains of the table and pulled himself up the stairs and onto his feet. Greg stumbled back into the laundry room and out the wide open door, before tripping down the steps into the rain-soaked yard. He vaguely realized he was bleeding.

Greg looked up and saw a man put Nick in the back of a black SUV and start to tear down the driveway.

"Nick!" Greg screamed as he slid across the yard trying to follow. Scrambling to get up and run. But by then the SUV was already on it's way down the hill.

He turned and ran back towards his car. But that was when the garage exploded. Greg saw the explosion with shocked eyes, the orange flames bursting out of the building and then suddenly he felt a warm blast of air and he was flying. It felt as if everything was in slow motion. He even turned around to watch the muddy ground fly up and hit him in the face.

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Greg awoke to a blurry form checking his pulse.

"Sir? Are you ok? Sir" Are you the owner of the property? Mr. Stokes?"

Greg came out of his haze and saw a fireman leaning down over him. He looked around and saw two fire trucks, and a police cruiser.

_What happened? _Greg thought.

He then looked over at the smoldering remains of Nick's garage, and the firemen still trying to extinguish his burning car despite the pouring rain. He suddenly remembered the explosion and everything came rushing back. He grabbed the fireman's arms.

"He's gone! He took him! We have to find him!"

"What? Who took who?"

The fireman eyed Greg like a crazy man, as Greg tried to get to his feet. The fireman pushed his hand down on Greg's shoulder and then stated slowly, "Sir, I think it would be best if you waited for an ambulance, looks like you might have hit your head…"

Greg tried to protest, but at that moment one of the lab's Denali's came racing up the drive and pulled off to the side. Catherine, Ray, and Riley came spilling out and when they saw him, ran towards Greg.

"Greg!" Catherine shouted as she threw her arms around him. Greg winced; he was a little sore from flying across Nick's front yard.

"Are you ok?" she asked him, "Where's Nick?" she almost screamed, looking over at the remains of the garage and Greg's car.

"He's gone Cath!" Greg almost wailed, "Someone took him!"

He related the story to the three as he was pulled over to the ambulance that had just arrived to have his head checked out, starting with his call to Nick and ending with the explosion of the garage.

"How did you guys find out?" he asked.

"A driver saw the explosion and called it in, when we heard it was Nick's address we all came right over" said Ray.

"OW!" said Greg suddenly, pulling away from the EMT.

"Well, I'm sorry sir" she spat, "but if you would just stop talking and let me put on this head dressing it would be a lot less painful!"

Her commanding tone made Greg sit perfectly still, and then she was done.

"Now look," she said, "You look fine to me, but if it's true that you were thrown across the lawn, you should probably go to the hospital."

"She's right Greg," said Riley.

"I'll be fine, our main concern is to find out who has Nick, and how to get him back! Do you have an extra kit in the Denali?" Greg asked Catherine.

"Yeah, as well as ours"

"Well get them, we need to start processing the house"

And with that, Greg got out of the ambulance and started across the lawn back towards the still open front door and the policemen on the steps. Catherine and Riley looked at each other as Ray eyed Greg warily, and then they went to grab their kits. Catherine put a call into Brass and asked him to put an APB on a black SUV seen leaving the area of Nick's house. He said he would be out to the house as soon as possible.

They all then entered the house and surveyed the scene. Everything looked to be in order, the only sign of disturbance anyone noticed was the broken glass from the door and the knocked over phone. They started their sweep of the house. Greg went into the living room, Riley in the kitchen, and Catherine and Ray took the upstairs.

Riley moved through the pantry into the laundry room, photographing the open door, the knife on the floor, and a bloody handprint smeared on the frame around the door to the basement. She got a swab out and took a sample.

"It's mine" Greg said suddenly from behind her, startling her. "I hit my head on the way down the stairs, that's when I dropped the knife from the kitchen, and when I came back up I grabbed the door frame"

Riley was amazed at how calm Greg seemed to be about everything. She couldn't believe that he wasn't freaking out; of course, he could be doing it on the inside like she was. Riley stared at him a minute, and then went back to photographing, heading down the basement stairs towards the shattered table.

Greg moved back into the kitchen, and started going through the drawers and cabinets, he didn't know why, it just seemed like the right thing to do. Then, when he pulled open the last cabinet he saw a line of hooks with keys on them. Each one labeled. Greg almost smiled; it was such a Nick thing to do. He read the labels, realizing there was one for each door in the house. His heart beat a little faster when he read the one that said Study and he raced towards the entry.

Greg put the key in the lock, twisted, and pushed the doors open. Catherine came down the stairs when she heard Greg gasp. She saw his arms fall and watched him slowly walk into the room.

"Greg?" Catherine asked, "What is it?"

She went down the stairs and turned right into the room. Her kit fell from her hands.

"Oh my god…" was all she could whisper.

The study would have been a pleasant room. It had dark wood paneling on the walls, bookcases lined one side of the room, and a bay window jutted out the back. Nick's desk and computer sat in the middle. But it wasn't the décor Catherine was looking at.

The walls and the desk were covered in photos, newspaper clippings and documents. The sheer disarray of the room didn't shock Catherine so much as what was in the photos. Bodies. Worse than that, she saw that they were in the rooms of this house. Greg was sitting in the chair behind the desk, staring at the files on the desk. Catherine sighed when she saw a case file box over in the corner of the room, seal broken… Nick had been stealing evidence.

"Oh Nicky" Catherine said to no one in particular, "What have you got yourself into?"


	4. Chapter 4

Nick woke up on the floor in the cargo area of the SUV, his arms and legs tied. He pulled feebly at the restraints and gave up within seconds. He knew this was coming; it had just been a matter of time. Why couldn't Nick just listen to him? He had tried to obey, he really had. It wasn't fair to be punished so soon. Nick glanced up out the window, all he could see was the rain pelting the glass. Nick tried to remember how this had all started.

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_Nick closed the door behind Greg and punched the air in satisfaction._

_Took him long enough, Nick thought, smiling to himself._

_Nick then moved on to unpacking everything in the house. By the end of the day he had almost everything out and in it's place. The house was coming together nicely. He had just hooked up his computer in the study when his cell rang. He smiled when the caller ID said Greg. Nick opened his phone and sat down in the chair, basking in the late afternoon sun coming in through the bay window. He talked to Greg for so long he didn't even realize it had grown dark outside._

"_Now look Greggo, it's dark outside, you're preventing me from getting anything done, I only have about two more days to work on the house"_

_Greg just laughed and said something about him coming over and helping Nick christen the sheets. Nick laughed and told Greg he would talk to him tomorrow. Nick hung up and walked out into the entry. He noticed that the lamp on the table in the hall was now on the opposite end._

_When did I do that? He thought. But he just moved the lamp back and went upstairs to his bedroom. Nick took a shower, and then started reading a new book he had bought. Before long he was asleep, completely unaware of the figure standing over him._

_The next morning Nick woke up and went to the store, stocking up on all the food necessary to completely fill his fridge. When he got back, he pulled into the garage and started unloading. When he stepped out of the garage, he noticed the side door was open. Nick could have sworn he shut it and locked it, but he guessed he did have his mind on shopping on the way out. Shrugging it off he took the groceries inside and stocked the kitchen. Afterwards he completed setting up the rest of the house and even started working on taking down the wallpaper in the upstairs rooms. By the time Greg called he had gotten one done, and the other half way._

_After his conversation with Greg he started carrying some of his extra boxes down to the basement, he had set up his exercise equipment down here, not knowing what else to do with the finished basement. Nick went through the door into the utility room and set some boxes behind the furnace. It was then he noticed the little closet in that room. Nick opened the door to find boxes of files, most likely belonging to the previous owner, he knew they couldn't be recent, the realtor had said the house had been vacant for six years, and was severely reduced, Nick almost couldn't believe his luck with the price._

_He opened one of the boxes and found a bunch of family photos. A wife and a husband, with their two young children, a boy looking about ten, and a girl looking about seven or eight. _

_I guess that explains the wallpaper, thought Nick._

_The family seemed to be very happy, always doing things together; fishing, camping, swimming, they seemed really active. Nick wondered why they had moved and not taken stuff like this with him. He checked his watch and saw it was getting late. He closed the box and the closet, and went back upstairs; he called Greg one last time and chatted with him while he sat in the living room for about twenty minutes. They said their goodbyes and Nick went towards the stairs. He suddenly stopped. The lamp on the table was moved to the other side again. _

_Nick couldn't see how that could have happened. He slowly walked over and put the lamp back. Something was off. Nick looked around the quiet dark house. Sighing, he turned off the light and started going upstairs. That's when he heard the phone ring._

_Nick frowned over the banister, staring at the phone, not only was it late, but he hadn't even given his new home number to anyone yet. He went back down the stairs and answered the phone._

"_Hello?"_

"…"

"_Is someone there?"_

"_Hello, Nick"_

"_Uh, hi, who is this?"_

"_Just someone who knows you"_

"_Do I know you?"_

"_You see Nick, that's the fun part, you don't know me, but I certainly know you"_

"_Is this some kind of prank? Greg, if this is you I'm going to kill you!"_

_The voice on the other end of the line laughed, "Ha, no, this isn't your precious Greggo… I'm afraid what I'm going to do with you is far more sinister than what he wants to do to you."_

"_What are you talking about?" For the first time, Nick felt fear._

"_Well, Nick, it is a great thing that you moved to this house, you are the perfect person to use for what I need done. I'm going to need you to investigate something for me, and I think you are blindly loyal enough to do something like that"_

"_Why would I ever help you? I don't even know who you are! I'm hanging up and calling the police"_

_The man chuckled, "Go ahead, you'll be dead in about a minute if you do… By the way, why do you keep moving that lamp back? It looks much better on the other side closer to the door"_

_Nick felt like a gallon of ice cold water had been poured into his veins. "You've been in my house?"_

_Suddenly the voice exploded in anger, "Your house?" Then there was a pause, as if he was mulling the statement over, "I guess you could say that", the man said, slightly amused._

_Nick looked around the quiet house, he swallowed and asked, "What do you need me to do?"_

"_Ah, well, now we are getting somewhere! First, tomorrow, during work, you are to go into the file room and get me a box labeled Casey from 2003, should be a triple homicide" Nick tried to process the information, "Oh and Nick?" the man said in a polite tone that made Nick nauseous before his voice dropped sinisterly low, "If you tell anyone, talk to anyone, or don't come back here immediately after work, let's just say you won't have to worry about Greg anymore"_

"_What? What do you mean?" But Nick knew exactly what he meant, and before he could say anything else, the line was dead._

_Nick went upstairs and tried to sleep, the more he thought about it, the more he started to convince himself that it must be some sort of joke. It had to be. Nick told himself that as he drifted off to sleep._

_He awoke the next afternoon, ready to go into work. He rolled over in bed, and was shocked to find a picture lying on his pillow; it was one of Greg, asleep in his apartment. He held the picture in his hands and looked around the room._

_Oh god… Nick thought. He was in here… while I slept._

_Nick realized that if this was a joke, it certainly wasn't funny anymore._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Hey Everyone!! So sorry about not updating sooner! I was on vacation, and the promised wifi was not there!! Haha! But now you guys are going to get two chapters instead of One! Hooray! Thanks again to my reviewers! You guys are awesome!!

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Nick felt the SUV lurch and he rolled helplessly into the side as the vehicle turned sharply, the ride had become less smooth, and Nick could tell they were on an old road… and isolated road… one that the team was very unlikely to find. Nick pulled his legs up to his chest and tried not to let the sob that would only please his tormentor escape.

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_Nick pulled up in front of the lab put the Tahoe in park and looked down at his hands, they were shaking uncontrollably. He glanced over at the photo of Greg. He knew he should just tell them what had happened, there was nothing this guy could do to him, he was at work, they were all safe here. He had calmed himself down enough that he was opening the door when his cell phone rang. The caller ID said unknown. Nick took a deep breath and opened the phone._

"_Hello?"_

"_Ah Nick, glad you made it to work on time, you know how upset Catherine would have been if you were late after she was nice enough to give you all those days off"_

"_Who is this?"_

"_Now Nicky… was there even a point in asking that?"_

"_How do you know I'm at work?"_

"_I told you, I know a lot more about you than you think. Now, I laid out the Casey file on your desk, should make finding the box easier."_

"_How could you get in the office?" Nick was baffled and afraid._

"_That doesn't really matter right now. Oh, and don't bother checking security footage, the camera in your office has been broken for months. Honestly, you'd think security would be an issue in a place like this" the man trailed off, his voice filled with utter delight, "Oh and Nick? Remember what I said about our dear Gregory, you talk, he's gone. Don't think this lab is safe. See you tonight Nick."_

"_Wait!" Nick exclaimed, but the call had ended already._

_He sighed and went into the lab, straight to his office, he saw the offending manila folder on his desk and backed out, going to the layout room. He couldn't tell the others, he just couldn't. That was when Greg came in, his usual happy and erratic persona bursting into the room._

"_Howdy Cowboy" Greg said seductively from behind him._

_Nick tensed and realized this was going to be harder than he thought._

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_He arrived at home with the file box and went into the house. Nick turned on the light as he stepped into the kitchen and was shocked to see someone sitting at the table eating cereal. He gasped and dropped the evidence box, reaching for his gun._

_The figure nonchalantly pulled out his gun and aimed it at Nick's head. Causing him to freeze in place._

"_Ah, ah, ah, Nicky, you should know better than that, after all, you are a guest here" the man sighed, "And after all the hospitality I've shown you as well" He walked over to Nick and took the gun out of it's holster._

"_Now, you won't be needing this anymore" The man then looked at the box on the floor, "Take that and come with me to the study"_

_Nick followed him numbly, barely noticing that the lamp was back to where the man liked it. Nick set the box down and the man pointed at the chair with his gun. Nick sat down and stared at him._

"_Why are you doing this?" Nick asked._

"_Well, obviously I'm going to tell you," the man said, walking towards the armchair in the corner of the room. He paused by a photo of Nick and the original CSI team, from 5 years ago, "Quaint" the man smirked, "I'm assuming this is before you were kidnapped?"_

"_How did you.."_

"_It would be easier if you would stop asking me that question over and over again," he interrupted Nick, seemingly irked. "Now," he said with his trademark cold and polite tone, "This house used to belong to my brother, Richard Casey, he lived here with his wife Alex, and his two children, Claire and Travis. He was a doctor, and quite successful at that. I would visit often, and the space above the garage was converted into a place where I could stay. But that is beside the point," he then moved over to the box, sitting it on the desk and opening it. "One night six years ago, he came home and found out that his wife had been cheating on him. So, he took a shotgun, and went into the kitchen. He shot Alex as she cleaned up from dinner," the man placed a photograph in front of Nick, showing a woman lying face down in a pool of blood in the kitchen… his kitchen. There was blood spray all over the white cabinets._

"_Amazing what a little paint will do to sell a place, isn't it?" The man's tone was one of polite conversation, which only made Nick feel worse about the entire situation._

"_Now, where was I? Oh right, he then proceeded to go upstairs and shoot Travis in his bed," He threw down another picture of a young boy in his bed covered in blood. "Claire heard this and ran out of her room and to the basement, where he found her in the utility room and shot her," He threw another photo of a young girl's body halfway behind the furnace at Nick, and he grimaced. "Finally, the good doctor went upstairs to his study, sat down, had a drink, and shot himself in the head," the man finally placed a last photo of a man sitting at his desk in Nick's study, it looked much like it did noww, only the ceiling and the bay window were covered in a blood spatter, and half the man's head was gone._

"_Why are you showing me these?" Nick finally managed to ask. The man offered Nick a chillingly polite smile before answering._

"_Nick, my brother would never do something like that, nor would he commit suicide. You are here to go over every scrap of evidence until you prove to me that my brother didn't do this."_

"_What if I can't?"_

"_Then you will die," the man stated bluntly._

"_And if I can?"_

_The man's smile became sinister, "Well Nick, here's the fun part, if you do solve my brother's case, then you will die."_

_Nick couldn't believe what he'd heard, "Why would I help you then? What does it matter to me if you're just going to kill me anyway?"_

"_Because if you don't agree to cooperate, then I will kill Greg," he stated it simply, like fact, and Nick felt his heart drop. "Nick you are the perfect one to do this, you are one of the rare people in this world that care about others more than themselves. I know you'll cooperate just to save his life, and let's not pretend you don't think I could get to him," the man smirked as he threw another photo of Greg in his room, this time changing. Nick stared blankly at the photos._

"_Where do you want me to start?"_

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The back door opened and Nick felt a cold rush of air from outside.

"Ah, Nick, Nick, Nick," the man said as he stared down at him, "I'm sorry it had to end this way so soon. You really should have tried harder at work to make yourself seem inconspicuous"

Nick just looked away at the carpeted floor.

"Now don't be like that Nick, we lived together for six weeks, I'd say I earned more than this," the man laughed as he blindfolded Nick and took him out of the car.


	6. Chapter 6

_Four weeks had passed since Nick had met the man now living in the room above his garage. Nick finally understood why he had been unable to open that door with the keys he'd been given. Someone had still been living there. No wonder the man considered Nick a guest in his own home._

_The days had passed the same for weeks. Nick would go to work, ignoring everything and everyone. He would only speak if it were absolutely necessary. He would then go home and sit in his study going over the case files, while Kris, which is what the man told Nick to call him, sat in the armchair in the corner holding the gun on him. After hours of looking at the photos and news clippings he would be told to go to bed, having the padlock Kris installed on the door locked behind him. Kris wasn't letting him eat much; he could only eat at work. Nick was also losing sleep, as the weeks went by he felt himself getting weaker and weaker. Which he knew only made Kris happier and happier. Every evening before he left, there would be a message on the answering machine for Nick, telling him what to do at work, mostly warning him and wearing down his emotions. Sadly, it was working._

_Then, after almost six weeks, Nick realized he had gone down every possible avenue with the case, there was simply no evidence that the doctor hadn't committed the murders, there was nothing to suggest otherwise. He knew that if he told Kris, he would kill him, so Nick just kept pretending that he was going over everything again and again. He wondered how long it would be before Kris figured out that he wasn't truly looking anymore._

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_Nick raced home from the lab, it hurt him that Greg had tried to ask him out to breakfast today, it was the first time in a week he had tried to even talk to Nick. God how he wanted to tell Greg so badly… but he knew that would put Greg in danger. The only solution was to keep pushing him away. Nick wiped tears from his eyes as he entered the house. He saw that Kris wasn't in his usual spot in the living room waiting for him. That was when the phone rang, he knew he wasn't allowed to answer, so he just watched as it went to voicemail._

"_Nick, it's Greg, please pick up… I know we haven't talked but..."_

_Nick could barely stand his voice, he just wanted to talk to him. Without thinking he picked up the phone and opened his mouth to speak. That was when he realized what a mistake he had just made. He tried to recover._

"_Just leave me alone Greg"_

"_Just tell me what's going on!"_

"_I can't! Please… I'm not supposed to be talking to you!"_

"_You're not… what? Nick what is happening with you?!"_

_Nick heard a noise in the basement, and he realized Kris must be close by._

"_I have to go Greg" his voice betraying him as he tried to hold onto his composure, and he hung up the phone. Nick backed slowly away from the phone. Suddenly it rang again, making Nick scream. He sat down on the floor against the wall across from the phone. This time when he heard the answering machine, it wasn't Greg, but Kris._

"_Sigh… Oh Nick… I thought I told you about this"_

"_No, no, no!" Nick shouted wildly into the empty house. He grabbed the phone and answering machine, ripping the cords out of the wall and knocking the table over. _

_He had to get to Greg, nothing else mattered now. Nick ran out his front door, but only got two steps before he was grabbed and thrown backwards against it. The door flew open, glass shattering, and Nick landed in the entrance hall, unconscious. _

_Kris sighed as he set to work tying up Nick's arms and legs. He checked his watch. Greg should be here in about 15 minutes according to the GPS transmitter Kris had put in the young man's car. He sighed as he drug Nick to laundry room and threw him down into the basement. Kris hummed to himself as he set the timers on the bombs in his living space above the garage. He then heard thunder as he looked out the small window and saw Greg's car pull up in front of the garage. A crooked smile lit up his face. This was going to be fun._


	7. Chapter 7

Greg and Catherine sat in Nick's study with Riley and Ray, the four of them going over what they had found in the room. Ray had come downstairs to tell them that a padlock had been installed on the outside of Nick's bedroom door, and the bedroom windows screwed in from the outside. It was starting to become clear that Nick hadn't been living alone here.

That was when Brass came in with one of the bomb squad guys.

"Looks like that entire garage was wired. Good thing you weren't any closer to it, or you'd probably look like your car" Brass said as he walked into the room, that was when he noticed all the photos. "Jesus, what is all this?"

No one answered and him and kept moving around the room. Riley opened a cabinet under a bookshelf and sighed as more files and reports fell out.

"I just don't get how Nick didn't know about this before he bought the place, aren't realtors supposed to tell you something like this? And why didn't anyone else recognize it? Six years ago you were here Catherine"

"Yeah, I think I remember it now anyway, a lot of good that does us" Catherine grumbled, "It was day shift's case, I just can't believe I didn't recognize the house… It was all over the news," she said as she gestured towards the numerous articles all over the wall and the floor.

Suddenly Ray picked up a folder and a stack of pictures fell out. "What the?" Ray exclaimed softly when he looked at them.

The four gathered around, and saw they were all pictures of the team, going about their daily lives, a lot of them were shots of the CSI's at home. Even more shocking was the sheer amount there was of Greg.

"Why does he have all of these?" Riley asked, "Did Nick take these?"

"I don't think so," Ray said.

"No," said Greg, "I think I figured out why Nick hasn't talked to anyone. He was trying to protect me, us"

"Why are there so many of you Greg?" Catherine asked, although it seemed she already knew the answer.

Greg looked away and out the window, "Nick and I… we were kind of together, it had just happened, and… we were even going to go on a date… this is why Nick got so cold" Greg had lapsed into mumbling, talking now more to himself than the others.

They stared at Greg, and then Riley went out into the rest of the house to process.

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Nick was lying on the floor somewhere. He had no idea; all he could feel was cold concrete against his cheek. He could only hear Kris moving around occasionally, sitting for the most part. Kris would occasionally mumble something about the time. Finally, he grabbed Nick and drug him back outside.

"Alright Nick, that should have been long enough, let's take this somewhere where we'll both be more comfortable," at that he ripped off Nick's blindfold. All Nick could see was Kris staring at him and smiling before he shut the back of the SUV.

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The team had arrived back at the lab and was going over the evidence collected.

"So did we find any connection with Nick and the family that lived there?" Ray asked.

"No," Catherine said, "And the only known relative of the Casey's was a Kris Casey, brother of Dr. Casey, he was living with the Casey's at the time of the murders, in the spare room over their garage. The police couldn't find him, and he's never turned up since. The FBI finally assumed that Mr. Casey killed Kris as well and dumped the body earlier"

She passed around the man's file.

"This isn't helping!" Greg burst out, "We might find out who took Nick, but it won't help us find him!"

"Look Greg, we're all upset, and we understand that…" but Riley was cut off as Greg stormed out of the room.

"This is bullshit, just bullshit," Greg left the other three sitting solemnly at the table and went to his shared office. He noticed a mail envelope on the desk. He opened it quickly, not caring about processing. Inside was a note, it read:

_Dear Mr. Sanders,_

_I believe I have something that you want back desperately, I'll be calling your phone at 9:00. Be able to take the call, and be alone if you would like to see your dear Nicholas again._

Greg looked up at the clock, saw that it read 8:50 and hurried out of the lab.

Riley saw him jog by.

"Where does he think he's going?!"

"He must need some time," Catherine said, "Just let him go"

Riley grumbled about Greg not being the only one that cared about Nick and went back to the photos in front of her.

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Greg's phone rang and he answered it immediately.

"Hello?"

"Why hello, Greggo…" Greg almost wanted to vomit, the voice oozed with malicious sarcasm. "How have you been holding up? I am terribly sorry about your car, you really shouldn't have parked so close to my home"

Was he talking about the garage? Suddenly, Greg understood everything.

"Mr. Casey?"

"Oh Greg, I am surprised, you are far smarter than I thought" the man's condescending tone was starting to annoy Greg.

"Where is Nick?"

"Why, with me of course" the Kris answered in a bemused fashion, as if it was such a silly question.

"Where are you?!"

"I'm the at the last place you took her, which is also the place where she died"

Greg could hear the smile in the man's voice, "A… a riddle?"

"If you can figure it out, come, try to save Nick, if not, I guess you'll see him at the funeral. Oh and if you do figure it out? Come alone".

And with that, the man hung up.

_I don't understand!_ Thought Greg. When had he taken any woman anywhere, and when had said woman died? Then, it hit Greg like a ton of bricks.

_Monica_.

The GPS system had been in his car when he had went to Nick's! Kris had gone back to Nick's house! Greg ran to the garage and got in one of the lab's Denali's and raced off.

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	8. Chapter 8

Nick sat cold and tired in his living room. Kris had drug one of the chairs from the kitchen into the center of the room and tied his legs and arms to it. Nick had pulled feebly against the bonds, but knew it was no use. The weeks of little food and emotional torture had done their work. He wasn't going anywhere. Kris came into the room and squatted down to eye level with Nick.

"Well Nick, time's almost up! I'll give your little friend a little more time, and then we'll get down to business," Nick didn't even understand or care what Kris was talking about at this point. Kris sighed and got up, walking over and leaning against the wall by the TV set.

"I had such high hopes for you Nick, I thought you would be the bright one to figure it all out. Not that it would have helped you of course, but still, I probably would have made this less painful than it is going to be," Nick just glared at Kris.

"Still giving me the silent treatment?" Kris mused, "Well no matter, and since I am about to kill you let me tell you a little secret," he leaned over and put his mouth right by Nick's ear, "I was right that my brother would never kill himself, or his family, I know this because I was the one who killed them".

Nick's head jerked around in shock to see the malevolent smile on Kris's face.

"But… I looked through everything! Everything! That can't be!

"Ah Nick, that was the point of all of this, I wanted to make sure that even the best of the best couldn't figure out what I'd done, and I succeeded. You see, the person Alex was having an affair with was I. It had been going on for several months, love letters exchanged, that whole story," Kris smiled, "But then one night she told me that she couldn't do it to Richard anymore, my sorry putz of a brother, who was at work too long to notice his wife always coming to me. But anyway, I knew that that couldn't happen. If Richard found out that I was having an affair with his wife, he would surely kick me out of my home. I couldn't let that happen. So one night after he got home, I waited in the laundry room I took the shotgun off the rack downstairs, being careful to use gloves, it was fairly ease to frame Richard, he had just shot the gun at the range yesterday and had neglected to wipe it down. My brother had a tradition, he would go into his office each night, read a few articles, drink a glass of whiskey, put in earplugs while his wife cleaned and the children went to bed, and he would nap until Alex would come and get him and they would go to bed. Well, after I was sure he was asleep I went into the kitchen. It was easy to kill Alex, she was just putting away the serving platter she had cleaned,"

Nick could see all of this happening in ghastly detail, hear the shots, see the fire burning in Kris's eyes, he wanted to be sick.

"I then went upstairs and shot Travis while he slept, and unfortunately that woke Claire. I must say it was a little hard to find her, but I did in the end".

Nick could picture the little girl dead behind the furnace. But Kris just smiled the same pleasant smile.

"I finally went into the study, and of course Richard had slept through the entire thing… I proceeded to place the gun on the floor facing up under Richard's chin and pulled the trigger. I'd say his was definitely the messiest death of the four".

He smiled at Nick again and picked up a roll of duct tape.

"Sure, I had to leave and go to our mother's old house in the desert for a few weeks, but I was able to return and keep my home, which is all anyone could ask for really. Although Nick, you forced me to destroy my home just to cover up your blunders"

He then put the tape across Nick's mouth.

"Oh yes, I think after this maybe I'll try Greg out with this case, and there will be none of this going to work that you have enjoyed… No I think freedom was the largest reason you failed"

Nick struggled to scream and shout at the man not to take Greg, but all Kris heard was muffled cries of anguish, he watched the tears come from Nick's eyes. _Oh, it was absolutely delicious! _Kris thought, reveling in Nick's pain. Suddenly he heard a car door, and he knew exactly who it was.

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Greg slammed the door of the Denali and looked up at Nick's house. The remains of the garage and his car were covered in crime scene tape that fluttered in the light breeze. He walked slowly towards the front door, it had been closed and crime scene tape placed in an X across the door. He ripped one side down, reached in through the broken window, unlocking the door, and stepped inside. He saw light coming from the living room straight ahead. Greg walked cautiously through the archway.

"Ah Greg, so nice of you to join us, you figured out my riddle a little more quickly than I thought. Bravo!"

Greg surveyed the man and Nick. Nick was tied to a chair, he looked frail and worn out. Nick gave Greg a sad look and tilted his head back down to his chest. Kris Casey stood behind Nick with a gun to his head and a knife in his hand. The man talking pulled Greg from his concentration.

"But I see you came unarmed… Pity… a little more of a challenge would have been nice, but that just makes things easier I suppose"

Greg started to circle around the backside of the room, by the French doors to the deck.

"Why are you doing this?"

Kris sighed, "Oh Greg, I just explained all of this to Nick… I don't think I have it in me to do it again, besides, you'll know soon enough"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't think it's obvious? You're Nick's replacement"

Greg felt the words rattle around in his brain.

"But first," said Kris, "I have some loose ends to take care of"

With that final statement Kris took the knife and plunged it into Nick's stomach. Greg saw Nick's eyes widen and heard the pained muffled cry.

"NO!" Greg shouted.

He ran across the room at Kris. Kris fired the gun and Greg felt the bullet whiz past his head and shatter the mirror over the fireplace. He slammed into Kris, knocking him into the built in bookcase by the TV, breaking the shelves and sending books cascading down. Greg immediately went to Nick, when he saw Kris out of the corner of his eye. He moved just in time as the fire poker went right by his head and slammed into the TV. Greg saw the gun on the floor by the coffee table, he scrambled to get up and grab it.

Greg felt his hand on the handle just as he was slammed in the side by the fire poker knocking him over the couch and across the end table, breaking the lamp. He heard Kris coming around the couch and he rolled as Kris brought the poker down, slamming it into the hardwood. Greg got up to run to the kitchen to get a weapon when he was hit in the side and he felt Kris and himself going through the glass doors out onto the deck.

Greg was covered in glass, he could feel the cuts on his face and hands seeping blood. He vaguely noticed that it had started to rain, the drops landing on his face. Then, Kris was on top of him, holding him by his throat. Greg saw cuts on Kris as well. He was holding the fire poker.

"Now Greg, it didn't have to be this hard, won't you just come with me? It would be much easier than messing up that pretty face even more with this, " Kris said, gesturing to the poker in his hands, the malevolent grin spread wide across his face.

Without thinking Greg grabbed a piece of glass and shoved it right into Kris's throat. Kris's eyes swelled in shock and surprise. He dropped the poker and rolled off of Greg, coughing blood, he tried to crawl away, but in a few seconds he was on the ground, his body shook once, then twice, and didn't move again.

Greg rolled over onto his front and pulled himself with his arms across the remains of the doors and into the house. He felt his vision blurring and his body weakening, he could vaguely hear sirens and see red light dancing in the entry hall. He slid halfway across the room towards Nick until he couldn't move anymore.

"Nick?" he managed to whisper.

But Nick was just lying there unresponsive. Suddenly the room was full of people. Greg felt Catherine touch him. Her eyes alive with concern.

"Greg? Oh my God, Greg? What happened? I need a medic!"

But her voice seemed a million miles away. Greg still stared across the floor at Nick. There was a crowd of people working on him.

"He's lost a lot of blood!"

"I can't feel a pulse!"

"We need to get him out of here!"

_What? _Greg thought, _That couldn't be… Nick's alive… I saved him… This can't be right… I saved…_

And with that Greg Sanders sank into unconciousness.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**: So, this is it guys, last chapter, thank you so much for all the reviews... without you, none of this would be possible! haha. But really, you guys rock, and have kept me confident enough to write again, stay tuned for more stories, and I hope this chapter ties up any loose ends! Thanks again!

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Greg stood over the grave. It had been a three months since the incident at Nick's house. All Greg wanted to do was put the past behind him, and this was the only way.

"God I miss you," Greg said, "You know I'm lost without you here, how am I ever going to replace you?"

He leaned down and put a flower on the pile of dirt. The shade from trees just covered the site, and a light breeze ruffled Greg's clothes.

"Hey Greg!"

Greg turned around to see a figure blocked by the sun coming down the hill towards him. He smiled when he saw who it was.

"Done yet?" Nick asked.

"These things take time you know," Greg said, mockingly pouting his lips, pointing at the small mound of earth.

"Ugh, did we really have to bury Monica in the backyard?" Nick said, rolling his eyes.

"Look here cowboy, she and I went through a lot together, annndddd need I remind you that she is kind of responsible for your safety at this moment"

Nick just chuckled and started to walk away.

"Well, when you're done come back up the hill, the contractor has a few questions for you"

Greg watched Nick walk up the hill towards the two-story house being constructed on the vacant lot he and Nick had purchased together. Greg looked on as Nick walked up to their contractor, who was showing him plans on the hood of his truck. After Nick had awoken in the hospital he had refused to go back to the house. Greg took care of having all of Nick's things moved into storage, at least, the big things that wouldn't fit in Greg's apartment. Greg smiled at the memory.

He had gone back to the house one last time. He was somehow drawn to the cause of all of Nick's pain. He never told Nick he went back.

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_Greg drove down the road in his new car, looking for the driveway, he almost missed it. The mailbox was at a slight angle, as if it had been hit. The golden letters were now tarnished and the O was missing. Greg sat in the road for a few minutes, staring up the drive. Suddenly a horn honked behind him, he glanced up and saw a woman in a little white car throw her hands up in the air._

_Talk about Déjà vu, Greg thought as he pulled into the driveway and went up the hill._

_He came to a stop and got out of the car. The remains of the garage, and his car had all been pushed into a pile at the end of the driveway. The yard was tall and unkempt. The paint on the house was peeling more than ever, one shutter had fallen off and Greg could see a few shingles had blown away from the roof. The front door had been covered haphazardly with a sheet of plywood. The fading piece of paper labeling the property seized by the City of Las Vegas was now white instead of yellow._

_Greg walked around to the back of the house, seeing the French doors had been boarded up in the same fashion as the front. Greg sighed as he walked back to his car. The house looked like it was perched on the final precipice between life and death. While it was true the house had never done anything to Nick or Greg, it had all been Kris Casey, Greg felt a small sense of satisfaction._

_He walked to his car and started going down the drive, he looked in his rear view mirror one last time._

_Good, he thought, let it die._

_And with that, Greg's car disappeared over the hill, leaving the house sitting on its lot like a ruined king, with nothing left to lord over._

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"Greg!" Nick shouted, "Get up here!"

The shout startled Greg and he turned away from the trees, he could hear Nick and the contractor conversing.

"I know that Tom, but I told you we wanted two sinks in the master bathroom, you said it wouldn't be a problem"

"I know Nick, but one of my guys messed up the initial measurement.. you're going to have basically no counter space"

"Well," Nick said, pulling a catalog out of his SUV, "What if we went with pedestals? Then run a counter along this wall over here?"

Greg stopped listening and rolled his eyes, who knew Nick was so into this stuff? Greg smiled and started walking back up the hill, towards his new home, and his new life.

_End_

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